A Senior Named Cain
Tae-hyun wore a dubious expression. In truth, he had never been particularly dissatisfied with his appearance. Even when others told him he looked intimidating, his response was always a simple, Who cares? That was why the reaction to his broadcast after getting makeup done last time had been... rather awkward. The compliments he received only made him feel stranger the more he heard them.
"Do... Do I really have to go out looking like this?"
"Who on earth goes on a broadcast without makeup? Of course you have to do it! Even a light touch-up works wonders on you. You absolutely must do it!"
"..."
Tae-hyun hesitated, but he couldn't think of a single plausible excuse to refuse. Ultimately, he nodded.
"Hello, Manager Kim."
"It's been a while, Tae-hyun! I've been keeping up with the tournament. Your last match was absolutely incredible!"
Manager Kim greeted him cheerfully. Just like Lee Dong-pal, Manager Kim held high expectations for Tae-hyun. Seeing Tae-hyun perform so exceptionally well in the tournament, there was no way he wouldn't be thrilled.
"You watched it?"
"Of course! I play Pan-On too, you know. Obviously, I can't play as often as you do, but just watching is incredibly entertaining."
The charm of Pan-On lay in the fact that ordinary people could enjoy it in so many different ways. Not everyone had to risk their lives in PVP like Tae-hyun did!
More importantly, does he know that I won by PK'ing one of my opponents beforehand?
Looking at Manager Kim's bright, innocent smile, Tae-hyun couldn't help but wonder.
"I'm sure you've already reviewed the materials I sent over, but it's really not a difficult show."
Naturally, Tae-hyun hadn't looked at them at all, but he kept his mouth shut. The sparkling, hopeful look in Manager Kim's eyes made it impossible to admit the truth.
"Just act natural and answer the interview questions comfortably, just like you did during the tournament broadcasts."
Since Tae-hyun had handled himself so naturally during the tournament, Manager Kim wasn't particularly worried. Unlike other shows, the Weekly Interview didn't require any special broadcasting skills. The host was known for leading conversations comfortably, and Tae-hyun would do just fine.
"Oh, dear. The stylist isn't here yet. Please wait just a moment, I'll go find someone else."
Checking inside the makeup room, Manager Kim looked at the schedule and realized his mistake. The stylist who had worked on Tae-hyun last time wasn't scheduled to arrive yet.
Well, there are other stylists available right now...
"No."
"...?"
"I'll wait for her. Will it take long?"
"No, she should be here in about thirty minutes, but... you don't necessarily have to wait for her. The other stylists are just as skilled."
"No. I want her!"
Tae-hyun, after all, was only human.
Tae-hyun was a man who used his time productively. People often assumed that high-ranking Pan-On players spent all day, every day inside the game. But Tae-hyun was different.
If you stay cooped up in a capsule all day, your body rots.
He strictly partitioned his time to exercise regularly, maintaining his physique and muscles with maximum efficiency.
"A sound mind in a sound body!"
He operated on a schedule as precise as a machine. It was easy to overlook because of his constant obsession with Pan-On, but among everyone around him, Tae-hyun practiced the most rigorous self-discipline.
Consequently, when he found himself with free time like this, he became unbearably bored.
Ah. I should have brought something to do.
Back when he was in school, he would have used this spare time to study, but there was no need for that now. After staring blankly into space for a moment, Tae-hyun pulled out his phone and began browsing Pan-On item listings.
Just as Lee Da-bi had predicted, the prices of agricultural crops were steadily rising. It seemed sharp-witted players had already noticed this anomaly.
This is going to cause a massive uproar.
Even Tae-hyun had never seen anyone successfully pull off a cornering of the market on such a massive scale. It was only possible because Chairman Yoo was incredibly wealthy and utterly fearless!
If all the crops are hoarded like this... the chefs will probably be the first to suffer.
Once the supply of ingredients dried up, players with cooking classes would immediately feel the pinch. That, in turn, would cause problems for combat classes who relied on eating chef-prepared meals before heading into raids. A classic chain reaction!
Thud.
While Tae-hyun was lost in thought, someone sat down in the chair next to him. It was a strikingly beautiful, glamorous young woman. She looked to be about his age, or perhaps a year or two younger.
Naturally, Tae-hyun paid her no mind and kept scrolling through the item market prices. His indifference seemed to provoke her.
"Hey."
A voice called out from beside him. Tae-hyun ignored it.
"Hey. Hey!"
"...?"
Tae-hyun looked around. Seeing his reaction, the girl spoke sharply.
"I'm talking to you!"
"Oh. You were calling me? Sorry. You kept saying 'hey,' so I thought you were talking to a close friend nearby."
If there was one thing she had miscalculated, it was that Tae-hyun was absolutely not a pushover. He wouldn't back down for anyone, first meeting or not!
Ha-yeon was slightly taken aback, but she refused to back down either and pressed on.
"...I've never seen your face around here before, which means I'm your senior. That means I can speak casually to you!"
"What are you talking about? I joined this agency three years before you did."
"What? Really?! Wait, seriously?!"
Tae-hyun had no idea who she was. Since they were inside the SI Entertainment building and she was young and pretty, he figured she was probably an idol. His guess was spot on. She was Ha-yeon, a member of the idol group Five Girls, whose popularity was currently skyrocketing. She was an idol famous for her chic, haughty concept!
Of course, Tae-hyun knew absolutely nothing about idols. He barely even watched the shows he appeared on, so there was no way he would recognize an idol! Even so, he didn't lose his nerve. In these kinds of confrontations, the shameless guy with nothing to lose always held the upper hand. Senior or not, there was nothing to fear! He just had to act confident!
"R-really?"
"Of course. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. I didn't expect someone to be so rude."
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
Completely fooled by Tae-hyun's lie, Ha-yeon hung her head in embarrassment. There was a reason she fell for it so easily: she didn't know who Tae-hyun was either! If she had recognized him, she would have snapped back with, What do you mean, senior?! But since she didn't know him, she immediately panicked, thinking, Oh no, he's so confident, he really must be my senior!
As a result, Ha-yeon sat with her head bowed, her spirit completely crushed. To think she had failed to recognize a senior who had entered the industry before her and made such a blunder! She had only intended to strike up a conversation with someone she thought was a fresh-faced rookie!
Click.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
The stylist who had done Tae-hyun's makeup last time opened the door and walked in. Ha-yeon let out a quiet sigh of relief. Finally, she could escape this awkward atmosphere.
Brush, brush, brush.
The stylist skillfully began to prep Tae-hyun's face and style his hair, just as she had done before. Gradually, his look came together.
"There we go. All done. Looks neat, doesn't it?"
"Thank you. Your skills are truly remarkable."
"Y-Y-You...!"
Ha-yeon stammered, pointing a finger at Tae-hyun now that his makeup was complete. Her eyes were wide with shock.
"You're that... that... what was it? Pan-On! Right! A Pan-On pro gamer! You're a Pan-On pro gamer!!"
Because the Arena Tournament had been a massive hit, countless articles had been published about it. On top of that, he was on the same team as Lee Se-yeon. Naturally, Ha-yeon had clicked on a few of those articles herself. And that face was definitely in them!
It finally clicked. She had heard rumors that a new pro gamer had recently signed with the agency, and this was him!
"Hey, if you were going to recognize me, you should have done it before the makeup. Recognizing me only after I get styled makes me feel a bit..."
"What do you mean, senior?! You're not my senior at all! You're the new guy!!!" Ha-yeon glared at Tae-hyun and shrieked.
No matter how shameless someone was, surely they couldn't remain unbothered once their lie was exposed! Unfortunately, Ha-yeon was still vastly underestimating Tae-hyun.
"What are you talking about? I was talking about age."
"..."
Ha-yeon clenched her fists tightly.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Cain."
"Cain... Right. I think I saw that name in the articles. They said you were a combative troublemaker... and the articles were right! Fine, I've memorized your name! Let's see how far you get! Hmph!"
With that, Ha-yeon stormed out of the room. Watching her leave, the stylist spoke up cautiously.
"Ha-yeon might talk tough, but she's actually a very sweet girl, so you don't need to worry. She won't try to get back at you or anything."
"I don't really care even if she does. She doesn't even know my real name anyway."
"What? Oh, wait..."
"By the way, who is she?"
"..."
The stylist stared at Tae-hyun, utterly dumbfounded.
"Every time I see you, I can't help but think you take makeup incredibly well."
"Yeah, thanks. But why are you here?"
"Because you and I are appearing on the show together."
Tae-hyun nodded at Lee Se-yeon's words.
"I see. Me and you... but why?"
"...Because we're on the same team for the tournament?"
"Cain or Kim Chul-soo could have done it too. So why us?"
"Maybe because we're more popular than those two? Besides, I wasn't the one who made the decision, so why do I have to explain it to you? Just start walking."
Lee Se-yeon gave the grumbling Tae-hyun a push on his back.
"By the way, I heard something strange earlier."
"...?"
"A friend of mine was complaining, saying, 'You know that player named Cain in Pan-On? He has a terrible personality! I tried talking to him because he's new to the agency, but he just lied straight to my face!' ...But if my memory serves me right, Cain has never signed with our agency."
"Huh, how strange. Was your friend drunk by any chance?"
Lee Se-yeon smirked at Tae-hyun's response.
"No. Actually, I find you highly suspicious."
"What are you talking about? My name wasn't mentioned even once."
"We'll see if you can still say that when we have a three-way confrontation later."
"Wait. Is that 'friend' of yours the same age as you?"
"Yes, we're the same age."
"Then... hmmm..."
Which meant his claim of being born three years earlier was also exposed as a lie!
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. Cain must have caused some trouble. Don't worry, I'll give him a stern talking-to later."
"..."
The atmosphere at MBS was exceptionally warm. The tournament was a massive success, and with the two main stars, Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon, making an appearance, every staff member had a bright smile on their face.
"Alright, there's no need to be nervous. Just answer the questions naturally."
"You did great last time, so just do exactly what you did then!"
Lee Se-yeon was secretly surprised by the expectant gazes directed at Tae-hyun. Although Tae-hyun had shown incredible performance since the tournament began, he hadn't actually appeared on broadcasts very often outside of the official matches. Yet, he was receiving this level of anticipation. Even though she had always held a high opinion of Tae-hyun, she hadn't expected him to become this popular.
Poke, poke.
Tae-hyun nudged Lee Se-yeon.
"What?"
"What is that?"
A massive, water-balloon-like object was suspended high above the center of the studio. Lee Se-yeon answered as if he were asking the obvious.
"It's the penalty."
"...What penalty? Wasn't this just an interview?"
"...You didn't read the script we were sent beforehand, did you?"
"N-no? I read it."
For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to look weak in front of Lee Se-yeon.
"After the interview, we have to solve a series of quizzes. If we get them right, the show makes a donation under our names. If we get them wrong, we get drenched by that water... Seriously, even if you didn't read the script, you would know this if you'd watched the show even once."
"I've never watched it."
"Oh, wear it like a badge of honor, why don't you? Don't worry, the water is warm, so it won't matter much if you get hit."
"I'd rather not get drenched."
"Then all you have to do is answer the quizzes correctly. Though that's going to be difficult."
"Why?"
"Because the questions are designed to be impossible to answer."
The Weekly Interview always concluded with a quiz segment. While it was intended for a good cause, the difficulty of the questions was absurd. It wasn't just one question either; a series of highly challenging quizzes were thrown at the guests, practically designed to ensure failure. The segment was specifically created to capture the guests' agonizing struggles to avoid the penalty. And of course, the viewers absolutely loved watching them squirm!